Andrew R. Berman

Andrew R. Berman

An expert on various aspects of real estate law including real estate finance, sales and purchase contracts, real estate development, and commercial leasing, Professor Andrew Berman is often interviewed by national press and called upon to be an expert witness and consultant on major litigation cases and commercial transactions. He is the Founding Director of the Law School’s Center for Real Estate Studies, which is one of the leading academic centers devoted to the study of both the private practice and public regulation of real estate. He is also the Founding Director of the Institute for In-House Counsel, which is one of the only academic institutes focused on the legal, economic, management, and financial issues affecting in-house counsel and other senior business professionals from a variety of industries and sectors. Professor Berman regularly participates in and organizes conferences, breakfast forums, master classes, CLE events, and other public programs to advance the goals of the Center for Real Estate Studies and the Institute for In-House Counsel.

Formerly a partner at Sidley Austin LLP’s New York Real Estate Group, Professor Berman spent nearly fifteen years in private practice prior to joining the faculty at New York Law School in 2002. While at Sidley Austin, he represented clients in all aspects of commercial real estate finance, including complex financing transactions such as mezzanine loans, preferred equity, and financings intended for securitization markets. Professor Berman also has extensive experience in real estate development projects, the sale and acquisition of real property and mortgage loan portfolios, and complex commercial leasing, including Times Square signage and telecommunication transactions.

A native of New York City, Professor Berman is a 1984 graduate of Princeton University (A.B., Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) and holds a J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law. Immediately following law school, he joined the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell as a Corporate/Real Estate Associate (1988–1991) and then moved to Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz as a Corporate/Real Estate Associate (1991–1995). In 1995, Professor Berman joined the Real Estate Group at Sidley Austin and became a partner in 1998.

Professor Berman’s previous academic experience includes teaching Real Estate Transactions at City University of New York School of Law as well as Lawyering at New York University School of Law. His recent scholarship has focused on non-traditional real estate financing techniques and include publications such as: “Mezzanine Debt and Preferred Equity in Real Estate”, in Alternative Investments: Instruments, Performance, Benchmarks, and Strategies (John Wiley & Sons 2013); “Risks and Realities of Mezzanine Loans,” 72 Missouri Law Review 993 (Fall 2007); and “‘Once a Mortgage, Always a Mortgage’—The Use (and Misuse) of Mezzanine Loans and Preferred Equity Investments,” 11 Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance 76 (2005). Professor Berman is currently working on an article focused on transactional skills.

At New York Law School, Professor Berman teaches Real Estate Transactions & Finance, first year Property, Transactional Skills, Sustainable Real Estate Development, and the CRES Capstone Seminar on Commercial Leasing. He is also actively involved with the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, Real Property Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and the Urban Land Institute.

Contact Information:

T: 212.431.2114E: andrew.berman@nyls.eduF: 212.431.1830O: E713

Faculty Assistant:

Tamara GarlandT: 212.431.2306E: tamara.garland@nyls.eduO: E701

Education:

Princeton University, A.B. 1984 (Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs)
New York University School of Law, J.D. 1988, cum laude (Journal of International Law and Politics, Editorial Staff). Order of the Coif.